Improved evaporator



W. H. PARMELEE.

Evaporator.

No. 45,072. Patented Nov. 15, 1864.

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llViPROl/ED ELVAFORATOR.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. filnii., dated Novemberl5, 1864.

To @ZZ wwm 722,04/ concern:

Be it known that I, WILLTAM H. IARMFr LEE,of Hopkins, in the county ofAllega-n and State of Michigan, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Evaporators; and I do hereby declare that the followingis a full and. complete' description of the construction and operationofthe sa-me, reference being Ahad to the accon'ipanying drawings, makinga part of this specification, in which- Figure l is a top view of theevaporator. Fig. 2 is a side elevation. Fig. 3 is a view of the sideopposite from Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is an end view.

Similar letters of reference denote like parts in the different views.

My improvement relates to the manner oi" regulating the flow of sap fromthe reservoir into a pan of the evaporator, and from one pan to another,and to the iinal discharge of the sirup from the evaporator, whereby thesaine quantity of lluid is kept continually in the pans, and sirup ofuniform thickness dis- 'charged therefrom without further care orattention.

My iml'iroveinent is also in the construetion and positionol" the pans,so as to scc-ure a perfect drainage and a flow of clear sap through thecenter of the pans, being in all respects an evaporator most perfect andcomplete in its Operation, saving a great amount of care and labor.

A and B represent the pans, which should f p be made of sheet-iron orcopper placed on a brick arch or furnace, G. The front pan B is designedto extend only over the hre-place, (indicated bythe dotted lines C inFig. 3,)

and is inclined downward on the furnace lfrom- `the front to the endfrom which sirup is discharged. The back pan B can be of any desiredlength, and is placed on the furnace inclined downward from the back tothe front.

These pans are made up of subdivisions, being divided longitudinallythrough the center, and the partitions inthe back pan B, extending fromthe sides to the center of the pan, are inclined forward, asrepresented, and the partitions in the front pau are inclined backward,to guide the ilow of the sirup through' the pans in the desired manner,which runs ,from one division to another through holes or apertures d inthe center partitions, A B', at the bottoni of the pans.

At the back end of the evaporator, on oneand turns in pieces f, securedto the pan. The

other end of this arm is pivoted to a rod con- -nected to a' iioat, i,.in the curb L, secured in a division, c, of the pan. This valve isoperated by the sap ruiming through the pipe, opening the valve untilthe sap is a certain height in the curb L, when the iioat will rise, Iinoving'the valve up against the seat, closing y the opening in thepipe, that is continually opened or closed according to the height ofthe lluid in the curb. There are holes around the lower end of the curb,through which the sap passes into the divisions.` From the division u,it runs into the division b, and `from I) to c, and so on through theholes d into all the divisions of the pan A; and the sirup is conveyedfrom the pan A to the pan B, through the bent tube or pipe I, along the.trough J, into the curb L.

rIhe discharge of the sirup from the tube I is regulated by a valve, I',voperating .in a similar manner to the one just described, bcingconnected by a rod, Z, to the float L, that rises and falls according tothe height of the 'duid in I[he curb L", opening or closing the valve.rllhe ilu id runs from the curb L', through an aperture, into thedivision c, and from ai to b', and so on through all the divisions ofthe pan B until the sirup runs out into the curb D, down into a cistern,D', from which it is discharged by a selfregulating valve. This valve isconnected by a stem, p,to a lever or balanceloeain, p', one side' of thecenter, the beam balancing on a piu, r, supported bythe pieces o,extending up from the curb D. To the inside end of the level.' isconnected, by the rod a', a

-lioat or weight, n, that extends down into the cistern, and on theother end of the lever is arranged a balance-weight, on.

lc is a curved tube extending up from the lower part of the cistcrn, atthe upper end of which is the valve-scat m and spout 7c. The

sirup in the cistern rises in the tube la, and when the valve is raisedruns out at the spout la into a vessel placed to receive it. The valve1s operated, regulating the discharge of sirnp of a uniform thickness,by means of the lloating weight a land balance-weight m. The weight nshould be large enough tov displace' about three quarts of sirup andheavy enough to sink in the thickest sirup that is ever de sired to bemade. As the specific gravity of the fluid varies inthe processofevaporation, growing heavier as it becomes thicker, the balance-weight mmust be adjusted on the beam so as to raisethe floating weight in sirupof such density or thickness as it is desired to have run off, for, asthe float thus rises, it elevates the valve and discharges the sirup. Ifthe sirup should run too fast, -it will be thinner and lighter; but thefloating weight, as if noting the change, descends, diminishing thestream, and if it runs ltoo slowit will grow thicker, but at the sametime so much more buoyant that it will raise the weight, increasing thestream, thus becoming a self-regulator, discharging sirup of any desireddensity from the evaporator with a remarkable uniformity and accuracy.

The different valves, as described, for regulating the quantity of fluidin the pans Aand discharging the sirup, act in perfect uniformity,keeping constantly the same amount of fluid in the pans, which, whensufficiently evaporated to any desired density, runs oil without furthercare or attention, and saving a great amount oi' labor. The sirup can beleft boiling in the pans at night or any time without furthersolicitude, for the sirup, as it is su'fliciently evaporated, will runinto a vessel placed to receive it, and when .the pans stop boiling thefloats will rise, preventing any more sap coming from the reservoir.

t is a faucet at the lower end of the cistern to draw off the sir'upthat remains in the eistern after the pans are emptied.

rIhe position of the pans on the furnace, the back pan sloping forwardin the direction that the sirup runs from the reservoir and the frontpan sloping backward to the place of dis- Y charge, together with thepartitions being inclined, as represented and described, facilitate thedistribution of the fluid through thepans' and secures a more perfectdrainage. rlhe fluid in boiling rolls the scum to the sides of vthepans, and the connection between the divisions being along the center,the sap or sirup runs clear, through the holes el, along the cenheatfrom under the pan A,and as the damper is turned forward it leaves auopening underneath to admit fresh air under the pan A,

there being openingslt inthe sides of the furnace to allow a current ofcool air to pass in for thatpurpose. rhis arrangement is desir` able infinishing up boiling when the sap is eX- hansted from the reservoir andruns low in the back pan, and would be in danger of burning,

but by turning the damper H the heat is shut off and a current of coolair admitted under the pan A, when the boiling can be finished e up inthe front pan, B, turning the damperin the side chimney, P, by the pinp, (seen in Fig. 1,) so as to allow the smoke to pass ont. When thedamper H is turned back, the heat and smoke from the fire-place passalong under the pan A and out at the chimney P at the back end of theevaporator.

The pans A and B are separate from each other and from the furnace,I andcan be removed at Aany time.

What I claim as my improvement, and dcsire to secure by Letters Patent,isl. The arrangement of'the pipe I, trough J, valve I, rod Z, iloat L,and curb L, in combination with the pans A and B when operatingconjointly, snbstantiall y as and for the purpose specified.

2. The float n, cistern D', valve with the stem p, balance-beam p', incolnbination withv the evaporator, substantially as and for the purposeset forth.

NVM. Il. -IA'RMELEE Witnesses: l

W. H. BURRIDGE, A..W. MCCLELLAND.

